New generations of semiconductor and other electronic components are continuously decreasing in size to meet the technical requirements of the electronics industry. These smaller components are often incorporated into devices, such as mobile phones and computers. However, these smaller components, and in turn devices, are still prone to failure mechanisms imposed by high absolute temperatures and temperature changes during cycling. The high absolute temperatures and the temperature changes produce thermally and mechanically induced stresses and strains in the material interfaces of these smaller components. In turn, the induced stresses and strains lead to fatigue failures. Discrete liquid-cooled or motherboard cold plates are used as cooling assemblies within high-power electronic devices that continuously demand increasing power densities. The heat transfer coefficients in liquid-cooled devices are often several orders of magnitude higher than the heat transfer coefficients in air-cooled devices. Thus, liquid cooling is more effective than air cooling at mitigating undesired heat generation due to conductive and switching losses in high-power electronic devices.
Liquid-cooling solutions may either indirectly or directly cool a component. Direct liquid cooling occurs when there is a direct conduction path between a power module and coolant fluid. Indirect liquid cooling is when the component to be cooled is initially exposed to air and the air is then exposed to coolant fluid. In turn, the coolant fluid removes heat from the air that initially cooled the component.
The figures are not exhaustive and do not limit the present disclosure to the precise form disclosed.